AWPC goes continental

Women from AWPC have been busy since our fabulous July cocktail party and impromptu poetry blockade taking part in demonstrations and direct action with our colleagues in France and Germany as well as at AWE.

In co-operation with groups and individuals from the UK we went to visit the Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies (CEA) where France's nuclear weapons are built. This is where the EPURE facility will work in conjunction with AWE's Technology Development Centre to work on hydrodynamics research.

We had discussed the possibility of countering the Anglo-French "Teutates" Treaty with an "Eirene" Treaty. Teutates is a Celtic war god whereas Eirene is Greek for peace (and also a Greek goddess) so there's some interesting symbolism. The idea was that if the UK and French government can sign a 50 year nuclear-sharing treaty, then peace activists might reasonably be able to sign a 50 year peace treaty. The French activists responded warmly to this idea and we hope to take it forward after some redrafting and be able to work together again in future now that our government's have twinned our respective nuclear weapons establishments.

After meeting French activists in Valduc and taking part in a successful action with good television coverage in France, we went to Paris where we took part in a ceremony as part of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemorations before joining in a die-in under the Eifel Tower.

Meanwhile in Germany, Aldermaston Women took part in the peace camp and blockade at Buechel, successful blocking Gate 1 (the women's gate) for 24 hours. There are some pictures here: http://www.atomwaffenfrei.de/kampagne/unterstuetzer.html and also a long list of links to the media from France: